Alyssa Marie Sobecki
Owner
The Difference Baker
Alyssa Sobecki is the founder and owner of The Difference Baker, an allergen-free bakery and bistro in Loudoun County certified free from seven of the top food allergens — the only retail establishment in the country with that distinction. The business has earned multiple Best of Loudoun honors and is now expanding to a new retail location at Dulles 28 Centre, with franchising on the horizon.
View EpisodeView Website
Brandon Davis
Attorney
Brandon Davis, Attorney at Law
Brandon Davis is a solo practice business and estates attorney licensed in Virginia and Washington, DC. Before starting his own practice, he worked as a corporate counsel and contracts attorney, where he spent time overhauling fourteen years of corporate neglect and building entire contracts departments, integrating closely with sales, human resources, and ownership. Currently, he focuses on assisting small businesses and entrepreneurs with operational administration, financial systems, corporate organization, and partnership planning.
View EpisodeView Website
Charlotte Bonini
Realtor
eXp Realty
Charlotte Bonini is a commercial real estate broker at eXp Realty with thirteen years of experience navigating the industry. She transitioned into real estate after facing a period of unemployment, seeking a career where she could control her own hustle and work. Today, she specializes in helping small business owners find the perfect commercial spaces, with a specific focus on navigating Loudoun County's shortage of commercial locations under 2,000 square feet.
View Episode
Donna Figueroa
Founder
Midlife Midwife Functional Health
Donna Figueroa is a Certified Functional Medicine Provider, Licensed Nurse Practitioner, and Board-Certified Nurse Midwife with over 15 years of experience in women's health. She serves women from her 30s through menopause and beyond, with a specialty in hormonal balance, and is a member of the Loudoun County Medical Reserve Corps.
View EpisodeView Website
Edna Howard
Founder
Voices of Encouragement
Edna Howard is the founder of Voices of Encouragement and operates ICE (Inspiration, Coach, Empower) Coaching and Consulting. Her diverse background includes managing Virtual Business Operations Services Support (VBOSS) to provide marketing, HR, and administrative assistance, working in corporate America as a woman in tech, winning the Women in STEM Star award in Dallas, and serving as a Mary Kay sales director. She also manages a home services referral network alongside her husband's former handyman business. Her primary professional focus is empowering women in the workforce by building their confidence and bridging the gap between their credentials and self-belief.
View Episode
Erica Bourne
Founder
Erica Bourne Consulting
Erica Bourne is the founder of Erica Bourne Consulting, a strategic consulting firm helping businesses build the organizational structure, processes, and growth strategies needed to scale with confidence. Her firm's proprietary OPS Growth Blueprint helps companies of any size envision their next level of growth and create a practical roadmap to get there. Based in Loudoun County, she credits the county's collaborative small business community as a key driver of her early success.
View EpisodeView Website
James Galang
Co-founder
Galang AI
James Galang is the co-founder of Galang AI and the leader of AI Strategy and Enablement at Sky Solutions. Armed with a degree in Biology, he transitioned into IT by learning Java and spent six years working in business operations and sales. He joined the government contracting firm Sky Solutions as their first back-office hire, heavily contributing to their massive growth from a $4 million to a $60 million firm. Currently, he builds practical, automated AI systems for businesses, such as marketing systems for biotech companies and automated podcast SEO operations.
View EpisodeView Website
Kara Ryles
CEO
Contracting Intelligence Group
Kara Ryles is the CEO and founder of the Contracting Intelligence Group. She formerly served as the Director of Contracts and a federal executive at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families. After losing her position due to a major department reorganization, she founded her business to bridge the gap between the federal acquisition community and the private sector. She provides small to mid-sized businesses with custom acquisition strategies, embedded acquisition intelligence, and federal proposal consulting.
View EpisodeView Website
Kellie Boyle
Therapist
Reprocess Therapy
Kellie Boyle is a licensed professional counselor and the owner of Reprocess Therapy in Purcellville, Virginia. With a background as a Psychology major, she brings twenty years of experience in mental health, including a decade working at group practices before launching her own business in the fall of 2024. She specializes in trauma therapy using EMDR, helping clients process traumatic memories, navigate midlife existential crises, and overcome negative core beliefs.
View EpisodeView Website
Kim Ruiz King
Co-Founder
Fambuli Insurance Services
Kim Ruiz King is the co-founder of Fambuli Insurance Services, an award-winning independent insurance brokerage she runs alongside her husband Cameron King. She is an active Loudoun Chamber Ambassador, a certified tourism ambassador, a BNI chapter launcher, and one of the DMV's most recognized small business connectors.
View EpisodeView Website
Nanette Parsons
Owner
Best Rack Around
Nanette Parsons is the owner of Best Rack Around, where she has been in business for over a decade. She operates a boutique providing highly curated, one-on-one bra-fitting experiences. She documents client needs with personalized charting to properly fit them for everyday, sports, and formal wear, specializing in creating accommodating and safe environments that include tailored experiences for young girls and autistic individuals.
View EpisodeView Website
Renee Ventrice
Founder
WineauxClock® Culinary Experiences
Renee Ventrice is a U.S. Navy veteran turned wine entrepreneur. She founded WineauxClock Culinary Experiences, pairing international wines with local cuisine and partnering with brands like Marriott and Salesforce. She serves on the Visit Loudoun board of directors and runs Bizlationships®, a coaching program helping entrepreneurs grow through relationship-driven strategy. She was Loudoun's first Certified Tourism Ambassador of the Year and a NAWBO Rising Star Entrepreneur of the Year.
View EpisodeView Website
Sarah Smith
Chief Innovation Officer
Iconoclast innovations
Sarah Smith is the Chief Innovation Officer at Iconoclast Innovations, consulting with founders, startups, and small-to-medium businesses to streamline operations, execute transformations, and "dejunkify" their processes. She holds a B.A. in English from Kennesaw State University and transitioned into the tech industry, eventually starting her first coaching company in 2018 before launching her current business in 2024, where she initially worked as a subcontractor for leadership development and operations reform. She is also currently an MBA student.
View EpisodeView Website
Stephanie Brooke
Chief Marketing Officer
Syntropic Power
Stephanie Choi Brooks is the Chief Marketing Officer at Syntropic Power. She boasts nearly two decades of experience blending strategy, storytelling, and execution, having built a boutique communications firm, managed complex federal projects, and worked in commercial construction and the GovCon space. She focuses on marketing advanced layered sodium technology as a safe, resilient, and domestically manufactured energy storage alternative to lithium for residential use and data centers.
View EpisodeView Website
Tom Watson
CEO
Therabulb
Tom Watson is the CEO of TheraBulb and has been a serial entrepreneur since his twenties. Professionally trained as a network engineer, he previously owned Capital Computers, an IT managed service provider, for twelve years. He built TheraBulb by sourcing, manufacturing, and obtaining RoHS and CE certifications for toxin-free infrared light bulbs in Asia, successfully navigating complex international shipping, customs, and third-party laboratory testing.
View EpisodeView Website
Victoria Burke
Founder
Clozure
Victoria Burke is the founder of Clozure, an end-of-life planning concierge service powered by AI. As a former funeral director and mortician, she has years of experience navigating grief and funeral services, having gained extensive hands-on training in human anatomy and embalming during mortuary college. Additionally, she has worked as an entrepreneur teaching CPR for the American Heart Association and American Red Cross for ten years.
View EpisodeView Website